Seattlepi: EU kills tariffs on U.S. imports

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EU kills tariffs on U.S. imports

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Commission said Friday plans for punitive tariffs on U.S. imports would be dropped after U.S. lawmakers voted to repeal legislation that grants tax breaks to leading exporters, including The Boeing Co. The Senate voted Thursday to scrap the tax breaks, which were ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization despite several revisions, as it approved a $70 billion package of tax cuts. President Bush is expected to sign the bill next week. European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said this paved the way for a positive atmosphere at the EU-U.S. summit in June.

The WTO had authorized the EU to reimpose a 14 percent tariff on about $2.5 billion worth of U.S. imports next Tuesday if the U.S. tax breaks were not scrapped.

NUTRA: EU food Industry targets health and pleasure as next wave

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EU food Industry targets health and pleasure as next wave

The EU's food industry has targeted research into products combining health and pleasure as the next step in meeting consumers needs.The target, along with other research priorities, is outlined in an interim strategic research agenda for the coming 15 years, published as part of a joint effort between the food and drink industry and other stakeholders such as universities, research centres and those involved in the supply chain.

The effort hopes to develop innovative production processes and to deliver novel and improved food products as part of a bid to stimulate the sector's competitiveness. The effort, called the European Technology Platform (ETP) on Food for Life, is a bid to focus research spending on health, quality, manufacturing, production consumer trends, sustainable production, food safety, supply chain management, communications, training and technology transfer.

Spiegel on Line: EU Perplexed by Leftist Latin America

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EU Perplexed by Leftist Latin America

Leaders from the European Union and Latin America are currently holding summit talks in Vienna to discuss cooperation between the two regions. But with Latin America increasingly turning towards leftist politicians and protectionist policies, the Europeans don't appear to know whom to talk to, or what to say to them.

Center-left daily Süddeutsche Zeitung emphasizes that "Europe is having a hard time developing a unitary strategy" to deal with the leftward shift that has characterized Latin America in recent years. The commentator notes that the EU's approach to the continent is characterized by a certain "hypocrisy." The speech EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner held in Vienna yesterday is paraphrased as follows in the editorial: "You can do what you want of course, but please don't touch our companies and their economic interests."

EURO News: "Alternative" Euro-Latin event in Vienna

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Alternative" Euro-Latin event in Vienna

Vienna was the scene of an alternative event alongside the EU-Latin American summit on Saturday. The demonstration brought together campaigners from both sides of the Atlantic keen to highlight a range of issues. Their aim was to keep pressure on political leaders attending the EU-Latin American summit in the city. One of them, leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, expressed solidarity with the activists at a rally on Friday.

Divisions between leftist South American leaders and European counterpartsdominated the conference. In an interview with EuroNews, President Alejandro Toledo of Peru criticised the populist policies being pursued in countries like Venezuela. "If we are not capable of reducing poverty to a significant degree we will create a fertile ground for short term populism which will lead us nowhere," he said. "This populism is a party lasting one night, which ends in funerals the next day, paid for by the poor."

swissinfo - EU leaders making a scapegoat of Brussels - Barroso - by Mark John

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EU leaders making a scapegoat of Brussels - Barroso- by Mark John

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso accused Europe's national leaders on Wednesday of undermining the bloc by breaking pledges to work together and using Brussels as a scapegoat for their own failures.

Barroso urged them to sign a declaration next year that they were genuinely ready to promote EU-wide policies on the economy and security, insisting the EU had to win back its credibility before it could think about salvaging its stalled constitution. But Barroso did not say whether he believed the charter, rejected last year by French and Dutch voters, had any future at all, saying only that he hoped the expanding bloc could manage some kind of reform of its institutions by 2009. "That's why in fact I am challenging national leaders. I am asking them: Are you committed or not to this project of living together in Europe? ... It is good that you say it, that European citizens understand it," he told a news conference.

In an unusually forthright attack on member states by the head of the bloc's Brussels-based executive, Barroso said they had gone back on agreements to reform Europe's economy and boost EU-wide efforts to combat crime and terrorism.

Los Angeles Times: When Europe calls, there are 10 reasons to answer

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When Europe calls, there are 10 reasons to answer

ALARMED by skyrocketing gas prices and the prospect of an ever-weakening American economy, my husband casually announced one morning that maybe we should "rethink" the two trips we plan to take to Europe this year: three weeks in Amsterdam and Germany in July and two weeks in Paris at Christmas.

There are many adventurous places to visit in the U.S., but there is something especially bonding about moving through a new culture, often with a new language, and trying to figure it out together.If gas prices are a consideration, remember: European cities are best explored without a car. And you can go from city to city by train. How fun is that? Food costs are similar everywhere, and with little kids we don't eat out a lot (in Paris, we will probably make an exception) so that's a wash.

Going to a new country levels the playing field: the food, the marketplaces, the money are new to you, and you'll be amazed at how much quicker the kids' learning curve is than yours. Which is a great experience for everyone.

Seattlepi.com: Russia, Algeria take steps to reduce debt - by Laurent Frost

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Russia, Algeria take steps to reduce debt - by Laurent Frost

PARIS -- Russia and Algeria, both flush with cash from soaring oil export revenue, have taken significant steps to reduce their debt with the Paris Club, the 19-member group of creditor nations said Thursday. Algeria struck a deal to pay off its entire $8 billion in outstanding Paris Club debt ahead of schedule, and Russia won an agreement to move ahead with negotiations on the early repayment of the $22 billion it owes. The Paris Club said in a statement that Algeria's debt buyback, which will take place between June and November, "reflects the strong financial recovery" of the nation in recent years.

EU-Digest Special Report: Wikipedia - Free And Constantly Updated Global Electronic Encyclopedia

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EU-Digest Special Report: Wikipedia-Free And Constantly Updated Global Electronic Encyclopedia

Wikipedia, the first free Global Electronic Encyclopedia is a great tool for writers, journalists, students, businesses, or anyone interested to look up the meaning of a word.

The encyclopedia is written collaboratively by many of its readers over the Internet. In order to achieve this Wikipedia uses a special type of website, called a wiki, that makes collaboration easy. Consequently people all over the world are constantly improving Wikipedia, making thousands of changes an hour, all of which are recorded on article histories and recent changes. Inappropriate changes are usually removed quickly.

Wikipedia is a non-profit corporation based in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, and organized under the laws of Florida. The founder of Wikipedia is Jimmy Wales who launched the project on June 20, 2003. The goal of the Wikimedia foundation is to bring a free encyclopedia with open content to every single person on the planet. This includes people who currently do not have electricity, computers, internet, or even clean drinking water. All proceeds from donations, as with all proceeds from all their fundraisers, will be fully dedicated to that charitable purpose.In addition to the multilingual general encyclopedia Wikipedia, the Foundation manages a multi-language dictionary and thesaurus named Wiktionary, an encyclopedia of quotations named Wikiquote, a repository of source texts in any language named Wikisource, and a collection of e-book texts for students (such as textbooks and annotated public domain books) named Wikibooks. Wikijunior is a subproject of Wikibooks for children.

Founder Wales believes that the process of collaborative editing has allowed Wikipedia -- which contains more than 1 million entries in more than 75 languages -- to maintain a neutral tone on a wide variety of controversial topics. Wikipedia comes in several languages.

To put Wikipedia on your own browser just go to http://wikipedia.org/ and bookmark it as a toolbar folder.

globeandmail.com : Europe shakes off doubters as stocks rally - by Angela Barnes

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Europe shakes off doubters as stocks rally-by Angela Barnes

If you were looking at the European stock markets a year ago or more, you can be forgiven for not being wildly enthused. But what a difference a year makes.

"We kind of got into feeling a year ago that everything was a mess in Europe; the economy was never going to grow; politics were hopeless; there were structural weaknesses in the economy," said George Greig, portfolio manager with Chicago-based William Blair & Co. LLC, where a team manages the GBC International Growth Fund. A lot of that sentiment started to dispel when the European economy began to accelerate along with the global economy, he said.

So, "by the end of last year, the picture was looking very different. People were more optimistic about the [economic] cycle. They were more optimistic about politics, particularly in Germany, and more optimistic about corporate performance when they saw how well earnings had done in Europe over the last three years," Mr. Greig added.If you were looking at the European stock markets a year ago or more, you can be forgiven for not being wildly enthused. But what a difference a year makes. "We kind of got into feeling a year ago that everything was a mess in Europe; the economy was never going to grow; politics were hopeless; there were structural weaknesses in the economy," said George Greig, portfolio manager with Chicago-based William Blair & Co. LLC, where a team manages the GBC International Growth Fund. A lot of that sentiment started to dispel when the European economy began to accelerate along with the global economy, he said. So, "by the end of last year, the picture was looking very different. People were more optimistic about the [economic] cycle. They were more optimistic about politics, particularly in Germany, and more optimistic about corporate performance when they saw how well earnings had done in Europe over the last three years," Mr. Greig added.

TimesDispatch.com: EU-U.S. aviation deal delayed

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EU-U.S. aviation deal delayed

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union and the United States will miss a June deadline to strike a trans-Atlantic aviation deal. The "open skies" agreement could boost air travel, create jobs and lower passenger fares, officials said yesterday.

The European Commission's director of air transport, Daniel Calleja, said the EU and U.S. hoped the pact could enter into force on March 25, 2007, before the summer traffic starts. An agreement would bring together the world's two largest aviation markets and 60 percent of global traffic, allowing EU and U.S. airlines to fly to wherever they want and charge whatever they want on trans-Atlantic flights. Authorities on both sides say the deal is badly needed. Under the present bilateral pacts, European airlines can fly to any U.S. airport only from airports in their home country. For example, Air France can only fly to the U.S. from airports based in France.

Chron.com: Pentagon exploring using military at Mexican border

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Pentagon exploring using military at Mexican border

WASHINGTON — Faced with growing pressure from southern states, the Bush administration wants the military to come up with ideas to help solve security problems along the U.S. border with Mexico. In back-to-back moves this week, the Pentagon began exploring ways to lend support at the southern border, while the House on Thursday voted to allow the Homeland Security Department in limited cases to use soldiers in that region.

Southern lawmakers met this week with White House strategist Karl Rove for a discussion that included making greater use of National Guard troops to shore up border control. The Senate is poised to pass legislation this month that would call for additional border security, a new guest worker program and provisions opening the way to eventual citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country.

Economist.com: George Bush and Tony Blair - Axis of feeble

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George Bush and Tony Blair - Axis of feeble

THEY have been improbable soul-mates, the silver-tongued British barrister and the drawling Republican from Texas. But the partnership between Tony Blair and George Bush has shaped world events in the nearly five years since the attacks of September 11th. Over the past year, however, the debacle in Iraq and problems at home have turned both leaders from soaring hawks into the lamest of ducks. This week Mr Bush's popularity drooped to 31% in the polls; his party faces a beating and the possible loss of one or both houses of Congress in November's mid-term elections. In Britain meanwhile, much of the Labour Party, which Mr Blair reinvented and led through three consecutive election victories, wants to bundle its saviour into retirement and replace him with Gordon Brown.

Many of Mr Bush's other foreign allies, such as Spain's José María Aznar and Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, have lost their jobs. And none of these allies formed a bond as strong as the one with Mr Blair. When the time comes for Mr Bush to soldier on without his one foreign soul-mate and confidant, it may not be Britain's troops, intelligence advice or Security Council votes he will miss most but the psychological pattern of mutual encouragement: each man's reinforcement of the other's belief in the rightness of his gut convictions.

Deutsche Welle: EU Lawmakers Complain of US Stonewalling on CIA Flights

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EU Lawmakers Complain of US Stonewalling on CIA Flights

European lawmakers visiting Washington to probe the alleged illegal detentions and transport of terror suspects in Europe by the CIA said they were not getting much information from US officials.

In Washington for four days of meetings with American politicians and intelligence officials, members a European Parliament delegation said they were disappointed only four members of the US Congress agreed to meet with them before returning to Europe on Friday. "We regret that no more congressmen or members of this administration and of the former one we had asked to meet have accepted or have been in a position to meet our delegation," Carlos Coelho, chairman of the European group, said at a news conference on Thursday.

Times Online: Now the good news is out: Europe is working very well - by Bronwen Maddox

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Europe is working very well - by Bronwen Maddox

EUROPE is growing again, after several years of gloom. What is more, it may grow even faster next year.

The European Commission’s economic report this week is an astonishing compilation of good news, even if the bald figures are modest. Should the European Union itself be credited with having brought about this change? Not directly, by order from Brussels, to meet financial or commercial rules.

The improvement in Germany, the EU’s giant economy that affects the fortunes of all the others, appears to owe most to its businesses’ belated fear of competition from Eastern Europe and China. But the EU can be credited with providing some of that incentive, by bringing in the eight new members from the east and spurring competition. They are the fastest-growing economies within the EU — partly because of massive investment from Brussels — and also among the most competitive. The headline figure of the spring report is that the EU will grow at 2.3 per cent this year. That is 0.2 per cent better than the Commission reckoned in the autumn, and much faster than the 1.6 per cent the region achieved last year.

Security: Wire-tapping in Europe on the rise - Netherlands leads the pack

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Wiretapping in Europe on the rise - Netherlands leads the pack

In a 2003 report, the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in Germany put Italy at the top of the European wire-tapping list followed by the Netherlands and Britain as the three worst offenders. Countries you would not suspect of playing fast and loose with civil liberties. Presently the top wire-tapping spot has been taken over by the Netherlands which now has the highest rate of wire-tapping of any European country—a surprising fact, given the country's reputation for cozy coffee bars, not invasive police tactics. Dutch police can tap any phone they like, so long as the crime under investigation carries at least a three-year jail term.

The Dutch secret service, known by its acronym AIVD, has gained vast powers since 9/11. In September 2004, the government passed sweeping measures that lowered the threshold for bugging and surveillance. A turning point in Dutch public attitudes came with the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim extremist who claimed a film he made insulted Islam.

Note EU-Digest: "In Europe, Big Brother is listening - and authorities across the continent are being allowed and getting more powers to electronically eavesdrop. Worse is that they are meeting less apparent opposition than President Bush did over his post-9/11 wiretapping program. As part of a package of European Union anti-terrorism measures, the European Parliament in December approved legislation requiring telecommunications companies to retain phone date and Internet logs for a minimum of six months in case they are needed for criminal investigations. In Italy, which experts agree is the most wiretapped Western democracy, a report to parliament in January by Justice Minister Roberto Castelli said the number of authorized wiretaps more than tripled from 32,000 in 2001 to 106,000 last year. The fact is that in much of Europe wiretapping is de rigueur—practiced more regularly and with less oversight than in the United States. Most Europeans either don't know about this or, more likely, simply don't care. European governments have been bugging phones for decades. In theory, the European Convention on Human Rights forbids "arbitrary wiretapping," but, as we've learned in the United States, arbitrary is in the ear of the wiretapper. Maybe it is time for European politicians to start taking notice also. They might be listened to next? "

USATODAY.com - Gathering data may not violate privacy rights, but it could be illega - by Joan Biskupicl

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Gathering data may not violate privacy rights, but it could be illegal - by Joan Biskupic

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government's secret collection of Americans' phone records may not breach the Fourth Amendment's privacy guarantee, legal analysts said Thursday, but it could violate federal surveillance and telecommunication laws. More broadly, USA TODAY's report about the National Security Agency's deal with three major phone companies fed a debate over whether the Bush administration is going too far — and setting dangerous precedents — in trying to protect the nation from terrorism.

"This may well be another example where the Bush administration, in secret, decided to bypass the courts and contravene federal law," said Georgetown University law professor David Cole. He cited revelations last year that President Bush authorized the NSA to eavesdrop — without warrants — on international calls and e-mails of those with suspected ties to terrorism when one party to the communication is in this country.

deepikaglobal.com - Angela Merkel vows today to revive the failed EU constitution

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Angela Merkel vows today to revive the failed EU constitution

Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed today to revive the failed EU constitution, but said the 25-nation bloc needed first to convince its people it was working to provide for their economic and social security. In her first major speech on Europe to the Bundestag lower house of parliament, Merkel urged a fundamental rethink of Europe's mission, saying its historical rationale, preserving peace after World War Two, was no longer enough to inspire people in the post-Cold War world.''We must, and I am deeply convinced of this, critically review the state of the European project,'' she said. ''We need to put people at the centre and explain what Europe means for their jobs, their prosperity, their social security, their healthcare and their old age.

''I don't want to dramatise things, but I believe a new rationale is more necessary than ever,'' she added.

People's Daily Online -- French economy grows between 2.0, 2.5 in 2006

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French economy grows between 2.0, 2.5 in 2006

French Finance Minister Thierry Breton said Thursday the French economy was currently growing at an annual pace of between 2.0 and 2.5 percent and was making the most progress in Europe.

"Growth is firmly established between 2.0 and 2.5 percent," he told the French parliament, noting "France is the economy in Europe that is progressing at the fastest pace. Today, the figures are not known, but all the forecasters tell us that for the first quarter it (growth) should be about 0.6-0.7 percent" compared with the previous quarter, he said. He forecast that the unemployment rate, which he stressed had fallen from 10.2 percent to 9.5 percent in less than 10 months, would fall "below the level of 9.0 percent by the end of the year" and to about 8.7 percent in 12 months.

The European Union and Minority Problems

Newropeans Magazine

"The European Union and Minority Problems
Written by Walter R Hunziker
Thursday, 11 May 2006
The EU has few subjects that nobody in Brussels likes to talk about, among which we find minority problems. Corsica and the Bask country may serve as examples for many others that are less visible or audible...

Paris and Madrid don’t mind, or actually demand EU subsidies to help the economic development of its regions. However, they would oppose vehemently any questioning by the EU parliament concerning the political situation of these minorities, which they consider to be a purely national affair.

Where democratic representation is involved, there are no national affairs that do not concern the EU. The EU is to be a coherent body, all its members being part of the total living community, like a human body which cannot have totally independent members, legs or hands.

Can it be a real national affair if those concerned do not consider themselves part of that “National”community? In such cases a higher supranational instance such as the EU is the logical place to deal with the matter."

Bloomberg.com: France and Germany to Unveil New Common History Book

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France and Germany to Unveil New Common History Book

France and Germany plan to unveil a new common history book for high-school students, going from the end of the Second World War in 1945 to the French and Dutch rejection of the European Constitution last year. French publisher Nathan recently released the French version of the manual's first volume, realizing a project agreed on in 2003 by former German Chancelor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac.

The manual, the first such project, was unveiled by Gilles de Robien, the French Education and Research minister, at a meeting in Peronne, a World War I battlefield.

TradingMarkets: German Exports Rise In March, Foreign Trade Surplus Narrows

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German Exports Rise In March, Foreign Trade Surplus Narrows

(RTTNews) - Government data indicating a rise in German exports should come as breather to the European economy, which raised doubts, in the backdrop of a fall in German industrial output, regarding a possible rate hike by the European Central Bank (ECB | in the next rate-setting session. Germany's exports rose 18.1% year-on-year, while imports climbed 28.3% in the month of March, the provisional data from the German Federal Statistical Office indicated Wednesday. After calendar and seasonal adjustments, exports declined on a month-on-month basis 3.2 %, while imports fell 1.6%.

TCS Daily - Lamely at the Top (Anemic World Leadership)

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For several years it has been clear that the current set of European leaders, with the possible exception of Blair, have been either unwilling or unable to push through the sort of deep-seated social and economic reforms EU states desperately need. Yet there has always been a vague hope the next generation of leaders would be more open to change. That increasingly looks like wishful thinking. Sarkozy, the man most likely to succeed Chirac as French president, used to talk of the need for France to make a clean break with its past. Not any more. "Sarko" refused to back the hire-and-fire labor law that brought millions onto the streets of France; he champions a protectionist trade policy and has watered down plans to trim the country's bloated public sector. He is, to put it mildly, no Margaret Thatcher. German Chancellor Angela Merkel used to welcome comparisons with Britain's Iron Lady. But her decision to enter into a grand coalition with the left-leaning Social Democrats has effectively scotched any prospect of radical reform, leaving Merkel free to focus -- with some degree of success -- on foreign policy. Blair's likely replacement, Finance Minister Gordon Brown, has presided over almost a decade of economic growth, low unemployment and high investment in public services. But the dour Scot has none of Blair's flair and is rooted in "old Labour" thinking. On present polling, he will be beaten by the Conservative's youngish leader David Cameron at the next election. Note EU-Digest: On the other side of the Atlantic things are not much better with polls showing that the US population has lost all confidence in its President and government leaders. As Fred Hastings, Cutler Maine's editor of the Down East Coastal Press wrote "I think we're seeing a general meltdown in support for the entire governing class as the result of a perception that it lacks the seriousness and self-restraint necessary to run a major nation."

Guardian: Blair's dangerous duvet days

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Blair's dangerous duvet days

As post-Blair politics takes shape, what new policy can Labour craft on Europe? The initial news last Friday morning that Downing Street was to appoint a secretary of state for Europe would have transformed British politics. First, it would have sent a clear signal to a leaderless Europe that Britain was prepared for a new role in the EU. Second, it would have obliged David Cameron to appoint a shadow cabinet member for Europe to deal with questions in the Commons - an appointment that would expose the enduring Euroscepticism deep in the Tory soul. And third, it would have finally forced Whitehall to take the EU seriously and move from defensive diplomacy to seeing Europe as the place where 21st-century Britain needs to be a commanding player.

Alas, Whitehall traditionalism and prime ministerial caution rose up to snuff out this bold, reforming proposal before it ever became reality. It is not a question of personalities: despite starting life in the camp opposed the then European Community, Robin Cook and Jack Straw dealt with Europe in a calm, professional manner quite different from the hysterical hostilities unleashed in the 1990s by the Major administration, and Margaret Beckett will maintain the steady pro-European line put in place by Tony Blair after 1997.

REPORTER.GR: Turkey: Revokes ambassadors from France-Canada

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09 May 2006 - Following separate warnings issued to Canada and France that recent developments in the two countries concerning their recognition of an alleged Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire last century could harm bilateral relations, Turkey has revokes its ambassadors from Paris and Ottawa for “a short time” for consultations over “baseless allegations” made about the alleged genocide. As the most recent diplomatic move revealing Ankara's anger against the two countries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namık Tan officially announced yesterday that Ambassador Osman Korutürk had been recalled from the French capital and Ambassador Aydemir Erman from Ottawa “for a short time for consultations” on the latest developments. “We foresee that our ambassadors will return to their duties after the consultations,” Tan noted.

Remarks made by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in support of recognizing the mass killings of Armenians during World War I as genocide have recently sparked harsh reaction from Ankara, which imminently warned such statements threatened to harm Turkish-Canadian relations. As for France, Turkey warned last week that bilateral ties could suffer if the French Parliament adopts a bill that would criminalize any denial of the alleged Armenian genocide.

EUobserver.com: Estonia ratifies EU constitution

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Estonia ratifies EU constitution

BRUSSELS - Estonia has become the 15th country to ratify the EU constitution when its parliament voted with a clear majority in favour of the treaty on Tuesday. Estonian lawmakers voted 73 in favour and one against with no abstentions on Europe Day (9 May) after the second parliamentary reading. The European Commission welcomed the overwhelming support for the EU constitution in the Estonian parliament. "This is a clear sign of Estonia's European commitment," said commission spokesperson Mikolaj Dowgielewicz.

"Every ratification counts. Those voices who voted 'no' should be heard but it is equally important to listen to the voices of those who voted 'yes'," Mr Dowgielewicz stated.

Tango and football accompany EU-Latin America summit in Vienna

Turkishpress.com

"Tango and football accompany EU-Latin America summit in Vienna
Published: 5/9/2006

VIENNA - Concerts, a people's court to try multinational companies and a football match between prime ministers: these are just some of the events going on alongside an EU-Latin America summit in Vienna this week.

An alternative summit, entitled 'Enlazando Alternativas' (Embracing alternatives) plans, from Wednesday and Saturday, to try multinational companies, like BP, Telefonica or Benetton, in front of a 'People's court.'"

Noticias - Philips announces U.S. commercial launch of Motiva – a TV-based platform for remote patient management

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Philips announces U.S. commercial launch of Motiva – a TV-based platform for remote patient management

Andover, MA –Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) today announced U.S. commercial availability of Philips Motiva, its groundbreaking TV-based platform for remote patient management. Besides vital sign monitoring, Motiva engages patients daily with personalized interactive content helping care managers reach more patients, influence long-term behavior and lower healthcare costs. “Motiva gives patients a friendly and familiar way to connect everyday with their healthcare organizations – the home television,” said Jay Mazelsky, vice president and general manager, for Philips Medical Systems. “Nearly everyone has a TV and Motiva transforms this common household device into a whole new way for nurses to educate, motivate and communicate with their patients. Equally important, Motiva lets clinicians continuously track each patient’s level of knowledge, motivation and confidence to achieve specific health goals related to his or her chronic condition. It’s a powerful combination designed to help organizations address both quality of life and cost of quality care.”

Designing Motiva around patient needs, Philips called on experts in the company’s consumer electronics business to learn how to wrap this ‘high tech’ system in an easy-to-use package, consistent with the overall Philips commitment to ‘Sense and Simplicity.” With a simplified user interface, patients only need to operate a few buttons on a Motiva remote control, while the secure broadband connection and set-top box installed at enrollment make the connection work.

‘The EU is a way of managing the pressures of globalisation’

‘The EU is a way of managing the pressures of globalisation’

"‘The EU is a way of managing the pressures of globalisation’
On the anniversary of the historic Schuman declaration, the European Union explains how it plans to turn present and future challenge to its advantage

May 9, or Europe Day, is the anniversary of the Schuman declaration. Speaking in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, then foreign minister of France, proposed a new form of political arrangement for Europe, whose aim was to make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable. Over 50 years later we recognise his vision paved the way to our current European Union, and brought Western Europe an unprecedented period of peace.

The creation and success of the European project has been described as “one of those events which happen in the world only every four or five hundred years”. The last 20 years have seen remarkable progress, from the deepening of the world’s largest single market to the widening of the Union from 15 to 25 countries. Indeed, the European Union is constantly evolving, as it seeks to keep pace with the changing demands of its citizens, and the changing nature of the world around us."

Council on Foreign Relations: Letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to President George W. Bush

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Letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to President George W. Bush

The letter from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to U.S. president George W. Bush is presumed to be the first contact from an Iranian president to a U.S. leader since the 1979 revolution in Iran. The 18 page letter calls in to question U.S. actions in Iraq, its relationship with Israel, human rights and the role of religion in foreign policy matters, and the right to nuclear research.

Scotsman.com News - First UK servicewoman dies in Iraq

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First UK servicewoman dies in Iraq

THE first British servicewoman to be killed in action for 20 years was among those who died in the helicopter crash in Iraq at the weekend.Flight Lieutenant Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill, 32, and Wing Commander John Coxen, 46 - the highest-ranking British officer to be killed on active service in Iraq - were passengers in the Lynx helicopter which smashed into a two-storey house in the centre of Basra on Saturday, after it was reportedly hit by a missile or rocket.Also killed were the pilot, Lieutenant Commander Darren Chapman, the co-pilot, Captain David Dobson, and a gunner, Marine Paul Collins. The Ministry of Defence described Flt Lt Mulvihill, as an "ambitious and extremely competent" airwoman. She was on her second operational tour in Iraq. Her husband, Lee, is also in the Royal Air Force. Her parents, Terry and Sue Poole, were informed of their daughter's death while on holiday in Spain. They have returned home.

ATW: "Customer friendly" Airbus settling on wider fuselage, composite wing as it nears A350 revamp decision

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"Customer friendly" Airbus settling on wider fuselage, composite wing as it nears A350 revamp decision

Stung by vocal criticism of its A350 offering from ILFC, Emirates and Singapore Airlines, Airbus is close to announcing a radical revamp of the aircraft, according to insiders in Toulouse.CEO Gustav Humbert told reporters two weeks ago that the airframer would make some sort of decision by summer (ATWOnline, April 26).

Airbus is striving to match Boeing's 787 and 777 while addressing Emirates' disappointment in the A340-600IGW's performance (ATWOnline, March 13). Key to the new variant is a wider Al-Li fuselage, up to 14 in. wider than the current A350, to accommodate a true nine-abreast configuration. The redesign comes after Emirates shipped a row of its triple seats to Toulouse where they did not fit into the A350 mockup. Boeing is offering the 787 in both eight- and nine-abreast arrangements.

The revised A350 also will feature a larger, all-new composite wing but not a composite fuselage. There will be three models. The first two will be similar to the existing A350-800 and dash 900. The third will be dubbed the dash 1000 and will seat up to 350, putting it head-to-head with the 777-300ER.

Xinhua - No agreement on draft resolution on IRAN

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No agreement on draft resolution on IRAN

NEW YORK, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of six major powers had reached no agreement on a draft UN resolution to rein in Iran's controversial nuclear ambitions after two hours of intensive discussions on Monday, said an official with the U.S. State Department. According to the official, who declined to give his name, the ministers did not spend much time discussing the draft resolution proposed by Britain and France, but focused on exchanging views on the strategic approach to Iran's nuclear issue in the future.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hosted talks and a dinner for her counterparts from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union in a bid to find some common ground on their approach to Iran's nuclear issue. The talks and dinners were held at Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. The six ministers spent two hours seated on couches in the presidential suite of the hotel, far exceeding the 45 minutes originally planned. They were accompanied by interpreters but no aides for the talks, said the official.

Telegraph: Beckett: no-one intends to attack Iran

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Beckett: no-one intends to attack Iran

Margaret Beckett has echoed her Foreign Office predecessor Jack Straw's firm stance on Iran, insisting that no-one intends to take military action against the state.Asked whether she also believed a military strike on Iran was inconceivable, Mrs Beckett said: "You're inviting me to tread down the path of talking about military action - I'm not going to do that.

"Everybody expresses their views, their stance, in their own way. The way that I choose to express it is that it's not anybody's intention to take the course of military action. "That I think is simple and straightforward and clear."

NIS: Dutch Economy Does Well In Europe

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BRUSSELS, 09/05/06 - The European economy will show strong growth this year, but this will already have passed its peak in 2007. The Netherlands is expected to outperform, after bringing up the rear for years, according to the European Commission's spring forecasts presented yesterday. For the 12 eurozone countries, the Commission is projecting average GDP growth of 2.1 percent this year, 0.2 percentage points above its forecast six months earlier. In the EU as a whole, GDP growth is seen reaching 2.3 percent, partly thanks to tempestuous growth in Eastern Europe.

For the Netherlands, the near future looks good. The Commission is forecasting GDP growth of 2.6 percent this year, a touch below the most recent Central Planning Bureau (CPB) forecast of 2.75 percent. In 2007, Brussels also sees a growth rate of 2.6 percent, whereas the CPB is projecting 3 percent.

FMNN: How does a currency collapse? And the U.S. $? - Julian D. W. Phillips

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How does a currency collapse? And the U.S. $? - Julian D. W. Phillips

Whilst most observers and particularly U.S. observers like to have tangible facts and numbers with which to mathematically gauge the present and the different possible futures, a collapsing currency situation is not as neatly gaugeable. Indeed it is driven in stages of 'confidence', which are rarely measurable in advance.

For instance we see today the move of the Pension and other long-term funds into the gold E.T.F.' one finds there are no mathematically measurable factors with which to measure the pace of change to these funds. Yes, the number of 'Road-shows' the World Gold Council does affects this move to some extent, but how do you measure the spread of that knowledge and resulting investment in the E.T.F.'s outside of that? How does one measure the forces causing uncertainty and falling 'confidence'.

It is an emotional progression, one that moves in lurches as particular incidents destroy confidence limb by limb. In such a climate a steady degeneration of confidence lead to an effect we shall call a "plateau - cliff" process.

IHT: Euro's rise is linked to good news this time - by Carter Dougherty

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Euro's rise is linked to good news this time - by Carter Dougherty

After a roller-coaster year, the euro appears to be headed firmly on an upward track as Europe's once-sputtering economy starts firing on all cylinders and the U.S. dollar weakens against major currencies. A mixture of brisk exports and accelerating economic growth is persuading investors to take shelter in the euro as the dollar continues a relentless downward trajectory. The dollar's decline - which affects Asian currencies as well - has accelerated since the end of March as the huge U.S. current account deficit widens further, and the Federal Reserve signals that it may pause its 2- year long cycle of raising interest rates.

But while the euro has seen its rising fortunes fade in the past, things look different this time. Analysts say its fate is not tied solely to the dollar's whims. Rather, its renewed strength stems from a generally upbeat mood in Europe - one that is in stark contrast to even a year ago, when the collapse of the European constitution underscored deep uncertainty about the future of the Continent.

Flight Rugby :The Boeing 787 - How Safe? Living with composites on the ramp.

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The new Boeing 787 - How Safe? Living with composites on the ramp.

It’s great to see that Boeing is forging ahead with their ambitious 787. Hearing all the stories about the composite fuselage, and related long term savings to airlines is great. However, things never go exactly as one would like.

Ramp Rash - it's common for aircraft to be damaged during turn around.When you crunch an aluminium plane on the ramp, you know it. There is visible damage to the affected area. You are aware of the "need" to report the impact, no matter how small a dent you have made.What about composite fibre materials though? It is commonly known that these materials behave differently to metals. They can take great loads before actually breaking into pieces. I doubt that they dent like metals. Imagine if you can bump a ULD loader or baggage belt against a composite fuselage, and only see paint marks (and perhaps a few sheepish looking ground crew)? There exists the possibility that serious internal damage may have been done, but persons on the outside wouldn’t see that. Firstly, the possibility exists, that if large impacts still show no visible damage other than scratched paint, ground crew will probably keep quiet and thank their lucky stars that they didn’t properly dent the plane. Not great for safety.

Boeing's new 787 is using carbon-fiber composite material in place of aluminum for about half of each plane. Carbon-Fiber components are also used in Airbus aircraft. Despite their strength and low weight, composites have not been a miracle solution for aircraft structures. Composites are hard to inspect for flaws. Some of them absorb moisture. Most importantly, they can be expensive, primarily because they are labor intensive and often require complex and expensive fabrication machines. Aluminum, by contrast, is easy to manufacture and repair.

Anyone who has ever gotten into a minor car accident has learned that dented metal can be hammered back into shape, but a crunched fiberglass bumper has to be completely replaced. The same is true for many composite materials used in aviation. Aluminum is a very tolerant material and can take a great deal of punishment before it fails. It can be dented or punctured and still hold together. Composites are not like this. If they are damaged, they require immediate repair, which is difficult and expensive. An airplane made entirely from aluminum can be repaired almost anywhere. This is not the case for composite materials, particularly as they use different and more exotic materials. Because of this, composites will probably always be used more in military aircraft, which are constantly being maintained, than in commercial aircraft, which have to require less maintenance.

The Australian: Big oil's windfall profits split EU - by Tobias Buck

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Big oil's windfall profits split EU - by Tobias Buck

EUROPEAN Union finance ministers are split over a controversial suggestion to impose windfall taxes on big oil companies which are earning record profits brought about by soaring oil prices. The idea of a special tax was floated by Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg's Prime Minister and the influential chairman of the eurozone group of finance ministers. Mr Juncker said high energy prices were starting to "irritate parts of our public opinion" while oil companies "appear to be the big gainers". "On taxation of oil company profits, we are at the beginning of a process. I can simply say we started this discussion."

NewsMax: US Presidential elections: Rudy Giuliani Begins Building his 2008 Republican Presidential Team

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US Presidential elections: Rudy Giuliani Begins Building his 2008 Republican Presidential Team

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is finally gearing up for a 2008 presidential run, recruiting top Bush fundraiser Ann Dickerson in a bid to broaden his team beyond a few close-knit, longtime aides. The New York Times reports that Dickerson will remain "focused on helping Republican candidates in the 2006 election. Yet given her donor lists, Ms. Dickerson will also expand Mr. Giuliani's own fundraising base if he chooses to run for president in 2008." Giuliani beats Sen. John McCain in most presidential polls - even though McCain has developed a much more extensive political operation. And while those same polls show both Republicans beating Sen. Hillary Clinton handily in the general election, Giuliani's margin of victory is invariably larger.

The question being asked is : are the Republican Party right-wing and Evangelicals ready for a nominee who takes liberal positions on abortion, gun control and gay rights; has had two messy divorces; once lived with a gay couple; and endorsed liberal icon Mario M. Cuomo to be governor of New York?

Olberlin Times: EU Mandates Seat Belts for Tour Buses

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EU Mandates Seat Belts for Tour Buses

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Safety belts will have to be used in all seats on tour buses and vans across the European Union , the European Commission said in a new directive presented Friday. The directive also requires children less than 4.4 feet tall to be restrained in cars by a seat adapted to their weight.

The Commission said failure to use seat belts is the second biggest cause of road deaths in the EU, after speeding, and ahead of drink-driving. A Commission study said improved use of seat belts would save 5,500 lives a year in the bloc.

icasualties.org: Iraq Coalition Casualties:

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Total number of "coalition" casualties in Iraq following the invasion now amount to 2635 killed of which 2417 US troops. Total number of Iraqi security forces killed since these forces were set up total 4731

Dominican Today: DR inaugurates renewable energy test center

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DR inaugurates renewable energy test center

SANTO DOMINGO.- The Cibao, Inc. Ecological Society (SOECI) and the Fund for Small Environmental Subsidies inaugurated yesterday the Renewable Energy Production Center of Manacla in the Tip Diego de Ocampo pick, Santiago.

The Agro- Ecology and Clean Energy Center facilities consist of 5 self-sufficient buildings fed from alternative electrical sources which are: two wind powered generators capable of producing 1,8 KW, one hydroelectric module with a turbine producing 1 KW and a module composed of 24 solar panels with a 1,8 KW capacity. Also, the center counts with a digital weather station dedicated to monitoring climatic changes in the area.

EWEA: Record year for wind energy: Global wind power market increased by 43% in 2005

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Record year for wind energy: Global wind power market increased by 43% in 2005

Continued political efforts can give even stronger impetus for 2006. The global wind energy sector experienced another record year in 2005. According to figures released recently by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the year saw the installation of 11,769 megawatts (MW), which represents a 43.4% increase in annual additions to the global market, up from 8,207 MW in the previous year. The total value of new generating equipment installed was over €12 billion, or US$14 billion. The total installed wind power capacity now stands at 59,322 MW worldwide, an increase of 25% compared to 2004.

“The overall picture confirms that the right political framework is crucial to sustain the growth of wind power around the world and to open new markets. Some 48 governments have already introduced laws and regulations to support the development of renewable energies, but this effort needs to be increased if the benefits of wind energy are to be reaped around the world,” said Arthouros Zervos, Chairman of GWEC. The countries with the highest total installed capacity are Germany (18,428 MW), Spain (10,027 MW), the USA (9,149 MW), India (4,430 MW) and Denmark (3,122). India has thereby overtaken Denmark as the fourth largest wind market in the world. A number of other countries, including Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, China, Japan and Portugal have reached the 1,000 MW mark of installed capacity.

Europe is still leading the market with over 40,500 MW of installed capacity at the end of 2005, representing 69% of the global total. In 2005, the European wind capacity grew by 18%, providing nearly 3% of the EU’s electricity consumption in an average wind year. “The European market has already reached the 2010 target set by the European Commission of 40,000 MW five years ahead of time,” said Christian Kjaer, the European Wind Energy Association’s (EWEA) Policy Director.

Channelnewsasia.com: Iran says suspended Renault car deal to go ahead

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Iran says suspended Renault car deal to go ahead

TEHRAN : A suspended deal between Iran and French car giant Renault to make a new mass-market vehicle aimed at Iranian consumers will go ahead after the two sides resolved an export dispute, the industry ministry has said. The landmark deal has been suspended since April when Iran insisted the plan would only go ahead if it could export some of the Iranian-made cars to the French automobile manufacturer's traditional markets.

Renault had previously only proposed that Iran export some car parts, but the Iranian industry ministry said Saturday Renault now agreed Tehran could export 20 percent of the Logan L-90 cars that would be made in Iran.

Gulf Daily News: Iran sets up euro-based oil bourse

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TEHRAN: Iran's oil ministry took a step toward establishing an oil trading market denominated in euros, rather than the US dollar, by granting a license for the bourse, state-run television reported yesterday. Just who would trade on the market wasn't immediately apparent. Iranian television did not mention trading firms or governments willing to market or purchase products on the bourse, nor did it say when it would open for business. "Iran has registered an oil bourse on the island of Kish in which oil would be sold in euros.

The market will be the fifth oil market after New York, London, Singapore and Tokyo," the broadcast said. Oil trading on those markets is conducted in dollars.

Mosnews.com: Russia’s National Air Carrier Aeroflot Chooses Airbus over Boeing

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Russia’s National Air Carrier Aeroflot Chooses Airbus over Boeing

Board of directors of Russia’s flagship air carrier Aeroflot made a decision to buy 22 A-350 aircraft between now and 2014. This information was reported by Russia’s business daily Vedomosti, which quoted a Kremlin source. The company is delaying the official statement due to recent crash at the Russian Black Sea coast, which involved an Airbus aircraft. The $3 billion tender was announced by Aeroflot mid-2005 and was held between A-350 aircraft and Boeing’s B-787 (Dreamliner) aircraft. It was believed that Boeing has higher chances of winning the tender, because its new aircraft will be available starting in 2008, while A-350 will come out to the market two years later. In February it was reported that Airbus offered Aeroflot a $100 million discount if the Russian airline chooses A-350 aircraft.

The Kremlin source, quoted by the paper, said that the choice of European aircraft was explained by the tough position of the United States in regards to Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization. By leaving Boeing without multi-billion contract Russian officials hope to influence U.S. negotiators.

AGORAVOX - India: the new darling of the Conservatives

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India: The New Darling of Conservatives

India has received increased attention from the US in recent years, especially under George W Bush. "Bush has been good for India," says C. Rajamohan, a political scientist at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. "More has happened between India and the US in the last four years than in the last 40." President Clinton made great efforts to improve relations with India and he remains wildly popular there. However, the State Department under Clinton regularly chided India about its nuclear program. The US also kept a wary eye on Indian efforts to fight separatist movements in Kashmir and the northeastern states, urging the Indian government to respect civil rights and such. Under Bush, many of these policies have been ignored and last month India was offered civilian nuclear technology, albeit subject to approval by the US Congress.

Gulf Daily News: EU finance ministers to ease tax burden on firms

For the full report go to Gulf Daily News or click on this linkEU finance ministers to ease tax burden on firms

BRUSSELS: EU finance ministers met yesterday to try to ease a tax headache for companies that do business with customers in other countries at talks covering the state of the European economy as oil prices hold near record levels. After a separate meeting between the 12 nations that use the euro, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said the European economy is "close to or slightly above its potential growth level" and was coping very well with the rise in oil prices. But he warned that governments had to stick to a promise made last September not to levy extra taxes on energy in an effort to dampen prices.

"We have to stick to the criteria ... avoiding measures that might give wrong signals to the market in response to price rises," he said. Juncker said ministers were starting to discuss a possible windfall tax on energy companies who were reaping big profits from the higher prices, describing record earnings as "a source of irritation for public opinion".

Yahoo News: British helicopter shot down in Iraq's Basra area

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British helicopter shot down in Iraq's Basra area

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - A British military helicopter crashed and caught fire in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on Saturday, police said. Firefighters said they had seen four charred bodies inside the wreckage. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, but one policeman at the scene in central Basra told Reuters the aircraft had been fired on.

RIA Novosti - Lavrov refuses to be drawn on paper's Cheney-Churchill parallels

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Russia's foreign minister Friday played down media speculation that a speech by the American vice president was a modern-day version of Winston Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" speech. An article in leading business daily Kommersant said Dick Cheney's speech Thursday at a regional summit in Lithuania, in which he voiced harsh criticism of Russia, was similar to Churchill's speech in Fulton, Missouri, which many in Russia see as heralding the start of the Cold War. "I would rather not compare these politicians or give this sort of ratings," Sergei Lavrov said.

Addressing an international conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, called "Common Visions for the Common Neighborhood" and attended by heads of states from the Baltic and Black Sea regions and NATO and EU representatives, Cheney said Russia had been backsliding on democracy and using its vast energy resources to blackmail its neighbors. Commenting on the conference, Lavrov said, "There are forums that apparently are formed to unite countries against another [country]."

Scotsman.com News - Blair's day of the long knives - by Bill Jacobs

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Blair's day of the long knives - by Bill Jacobs

PRIME Minister Tony Blair culled his Cabinet today, with a radical reshuffle in response to Labour's local election drubbing. Beleaguered Charles Clarke was fired from the Home Office and turned down a series of other Cabinet posts to return to the backbenches. John Reid moves from defence to replace him. Margaret Beckett takes over as Foreign Secretary from Jack Straw, who is demoted to be Leader of the Commons. Geoff Hoon moves to become Europe Minister in the Cabinet to make way for Mr Straw.

FinFacts Ireland: EU survey shows that 47% regard globalisation as a threat to the national employment situation

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EU survey shows that 47% regard globalisation as a threat to the national employment situation

According to EU citizens, comparable living standards, followed by the introduction of the Euro in all Member States, and a common Constitution are elements which are of most importance for the future of Europe. Expectations for more Europe remain solid, in relation to key issues: fight against unemployment, protection of social rights and economic growth. These are the main results of two special Eurobarometer surveys conducted in February and March 2006 in the framework of Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate.

Ms Margot Wallström, Vice-President of European Commission, responsible for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy, commented on the results: “Citizens want Europe strong. There is a feeling of solidarity and a need for common solutions. The EU is associated with security: from social security, security against terrorism and crime, security in health, living and environmental conditions to job security. The EU is expected to harness globalisation, bring solutions in terms of peace, democracy, living standards as well as research, innovation and economic performance. This should be the foundation of the EU policy agenda, which will help reinvent and renew the EU ahead of its 50th anniversary.” Note EU-Digest: The bottom-line of this survey shows that the 25 EU-members need to do a far better job at selling the vision of and the results achieved by the EU during its 50 year history.

EUPolitix.com - Cool reception for EU in latest poll

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Cool reception for EU in latest poll

The Eurobrometer survey was carried out across the EU in the aftermath of constitutional rejection. According to the results published on Friday, in France and the Netherlands there has been “a slight increase in the feeling that their country has not benefited from EU membership (up four points.)”But the poll finds that cooler relations with Europe are not only attributed to constitutional fall out. The good news for Brussels is that support for the idea of a European constitution remains widespread. Sixty-three per cent of European citizens support the concept of a constitution for the EU, against 21 per cent who oppose this idea.

news - The future of Europe: MEPs and MPs debate the EU's constitutional future

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At 3pm on Monday 8 May, President Borrell will formally open two-day meeting of MEPs and MPs on the future of Europe. The meeting is jointly organised by the European Parliament and the Austrian Parliament. Given the "yes" and no" on the Constitutional Treaty, this meeting should outline way out of this impasse.

UK MEPs participating in the meeting summed up their expectations ahead of the meeting: Charles Tannock (Conservative, London) said: "The interests of the people of Europe are best served by a new vision which concentrates on areas where the EU can bring real value added such as enforcing the single market and competition rules, reducing over-regulation and bureaucracy, enforcing environmental and consumer protection, fighting organised crime and international terrorism and co-operating on foreign policy and security issues. There is a real euro-fatigue which has set-in with our electorates who believe the EU to be too distant from their concerns and top-down in its approach. The no votes to the EU Constitution was a wake-up call which Europe's leaders ignore at their peril."

Jim Allister (Democratic Unionist, Northern Ireland) said: I will be pleasantly surprised if this event proves other than another unrealistic endeavour to resuscitate and promote the rejected Constitution.

Nis News Bulletin: Dutch Most Critical Of EU After Swedes but favor expansion of EU

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Dutch Most Critical Of EU After Swedes but favor expansion of EU

The Dutch are much more critical of the European Union than other Europeans. "Mainly because the Dutch Government does a poor job in communicating the benefits of the EU and in promoting the need for European unity at all levels, notes a Dutch European Parliamentarian. Only the Swedes are more negative, a survey commissioned by the European Commission reveals. Of all 25 EU countries, the Dutch are most ignorant about European Parliament elections. Nearly half said 'no' to the question: "Is the European Parliament directly elected by citizens of the EU?". Another 10 percent said they did not know. "Very disappointing," sighed Sjerp van der Vaart, director of the European Parliament office in The Hague. He believes too little attention is given to the EU at Dutch schools. "I am calling on Education Minister Maria van der Hoeven to bring the European dimension to the attention of schoolchildren."

France is solving the Armenian question - Turkish Daily News

"France is solving the Armenian question
Friday, May 5, 2006

France, which is going through a period of 'end of rule,' seems like a floundering ship. No one knows who is at the helm, and it is very hard to predict where it will bump next. "

More:France is solving the Armenian question - Turkish Daily News

Europe's answer to China?

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports

"Europe's answer to China?

Turkey has its sights set on becoming a bigger player in the global economy, says David Gow

David Gow, Istanbul
Friday May 5, 2006

Turkey is a rising star of the global economy, says Cansen Basaran-Symes, territorial senior partner at accountants PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and you only need to look at three recent events that symbolise the predominantly Muslim country's ascent from the ashes of the crash of 2001 - and its studiedly secular openness to reform and change.

A US private equity firm, Texas Pacific, bought into the former state-owned alcohol monopoly, Mey, makers of the national spirit raki, and Alpha, Greece's second-largest bank, said it was in talks to acquire Tekfenbank - the second bank from Turkey's historic adversary to invest in its booming financial sector after National Bank of Greece this month paid €2.3bn to take a 46% stake in Finansbank."

NYTimes article reprint: Rich: Bush of a Thousand Days

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Rich: Bush of a Thousand Days

The demons that keep rising up from the past to grab Mr. Bush are the fictional W.M.D. he wielded to take us into Iraq. They stalk him as relentlessly as Banquo's ghost did Macbeth. From that original sin, all else flows. Mr. Rove wouldn't be in jeopardy if the White House hadn't hatched a clumsy plot to cover up its fictions. Mr. Bush's poll numbers wouldn't be in the toilet if American blood was not being spilled daily because of his fictions. By recruiting a practiced Fox News performer to better spin this history, the White House reveals that it has learned nothing. Made-for-TV propaganda propelled the Bush presidency into its quagmire in the first place. At this late date only the truth, the whole and nothing but, can set it free.

TCS Daily - Group Power in Europe

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Group Power in Europe

Eventually, when the medieval era was over, there were two types of European states. The imperial states, like Spain and France, had a legacy of top-down rule. The associational states, like the Netherlands and (somewhat later) England, had a legacy of strong non-governmental sources of authority, which in turn limited the power of government.

The commercial and industrial revolutions took off earliest in the associational states. Associational government was stable to the extent that it guaranteed freedom of association. Strong non-state associations served as a check against expansion of state power. Associational government was economically powerful because of the strong protections against government confiscation of private property. Without predation, Kohn argues, economic growth tends to take place naturally.

As the autocratic states, such as France and Spain, required more revenue to finance wars, they tended to concede power to other elites. Thus, they became slightly less autocratic. Meanwhile, as the city-states attempted to merge in order to protect themselves, governments would tend to become more predatory. However, in some exceptional cases, notably the Netherlands and England, an "associational state" emerged, which combined the limits on governmental predation of the smaller polities with the military defense capability of the larger polities.

Boston Globe: Iran's nuclear aims top Bush-Germany talks - by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press Writer

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Iran's nuclear aims top Bush-Germany talks - by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON --President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented a united front Wednesday on the need to stifle Iran's nuclear ambitions but tread cautiously in public on their uphill push for possible U.N. sanctions.Earlier Wednesday, Britain and France introduced a U.N. Security Council resolution, with U.S. and German backing, that would be legally binding and set the stage for sanctions against Iran if the nation does not abandon uranium enrichment. Russia and China, permanent members of the Security Council with veto power, oppose sanctions against Iran, while Britain, France, Germany and the United States say they will seek to make the demand on uranium enrichment compulsory.Bush also announced that he would be traveling to Germany in July as part of a trip to Europe for the Group of Eight summit in Russia.

DW: Merkel's Speech Before Jewish Group "Key Reason" for US Trip

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Merkel's Speech Before Jewish Group "Key Reason" for US Trip

In the course of her second visit to the United States since taking office, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will address the annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee, the first German chancellor to do so. Following talks with George W. Bush Wednesday and after meetings with business bigwigs and the American Council on Germany in New York earlier Thursday, Merkel will travel back to Washington, DC, where she will be the first German chancellor to address the annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee.

German Government officials say the talk to the American Jewish Committee is considered the key event of her second US trip in five months, and the real reason for her to have made the trip.

AlterNet: US Intelligence Czar John Negroponte splashes cold water on the need to attack Iran - by Robert Parry, TomPaine.com

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US Intelligence Czar John Negroponte splashes cold water on the need to attack Iran - by Robert Parry, TomPaine.com

Negroponte is defying US Administration hardliners who want a worst-case scenario on Iran's capabilities. Instead, he is citing Iran's limited progress in refining uranium and their use of a cascade of only 164 centrifuges. "According to the experts that I consult, achieving -- getting 164 centrifuges to work is still a long way from having the capacity to manufacture sufficient fissile material for a nuclear weapon," Negroponte said in an interview with NBC News on April 20. "Our assessment is that the prospects of an Iranian weapon are still a number of years off, and probably into the next decade," said Negroponte, who was appointed last year as the Director of National Intelligence, a new post that supplanted the traditional primacy of the CIA director as the head of the U.S. intelligence community.Frank J. Gaffney Jr. an original signer of the neoconservative Project for the New American Century, even called for Negroponte's firing because of the Iran assessment and his "abysmal personnel decisions" in hiring senior intelligence analysts who were skeptics about Bush's Iraqi WMD claims, too.

In an article for Evangelical Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Washington Times, Gaffney attacked Negroponte for giving top analytical jobs to Thomas Fingar, who had served as assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, and Kenneth Brill, who was U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which debunked some of the U.S. and British claims about Iraq seeking enriched uranium from Africa. Note EU-Digest: "Iran has presently only been able to enrich uranium up to 4.8%. This quality uranium is required for nuclear power plants. In order to make a nuclear bomb uranium has to be enriched by at least 80%."

Guardian Unlimited: This high-octane rocket-rattling against Tehran is unlikely to succeed - by Tariq Ali

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This high-octane rocket-rattling against Tehran is unlikely to succeed - by Tariq Ali

Till now, what has prevented the crisis in Iraq from becoming a total debacle for the United States has been the open collaboration of the Iranian clerics. Iranian foreign policy - fragmentary and opportunist - has always been determined by the needs and interests of the clerical state rather than any principled anti-imperialist strategy. In the past, this has led to a de facto collaboration with Washington in Afghanistan and Iraq. During the Iran-Iraq war, the clerics had no hesitation in buying arms from the Israeli regime to fight Iraq, then backed by Britain and the US. In the wake of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq - hoping, no doubt, that clearing the path for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and Mullah Omar might have won them a respite - the regime took a tougher stance on the nuclear question.

There is no evidence that Iran is much closer to nuclear weapons now than was Iraq in September 2002, when Blair and Cheney assured the world that Baghdad represented a "genuine nuclear threat".

FT.com- US allies urge direct dialogue with Iran - by Guy Dinmore

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US allies urge direct dialogue with Iran - by Guy Dinmore

US efforts to form a new "coalition of the willing" that would impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme are running into objections from European and Asian allies who say the Bush administration must first exhaust all diplomatic options, including the United Nations process and direct talks with Tehran.A call for US-Iran dialogue was first raised in public last month by Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister. Mr Bush is also under pressure from some Republicans and Democrats in Congress to stop outsourcing negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme to Europe.

Whether Iran's leadership is prepared for wide-ranging talks with the US is a matter of debate. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, made an important statement on March 22 when he accepted a US offer of talks on the issue of Iraq. But he also warned that the US wanted to use negotiations to impose its will, not reach a mutual agreement on wider issues.

Reuters: EU urges US to answer EU lawmakers on CIA flights - by Ingrid Melander

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EU urges US to answer EU lawmakers on CIA flights - by Ingrid Melander

VIENNA (Reuters) - The European Union urged the United States on Wednesday to respond to EU lawmakers heading for Washington next week to investigate allegations of secret CIA detention centers and flights in Europe for terror suspects. But neither the EU's top Justice official nor the Justice and Interior minister of EU President Austria asked U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales any questions on the allegations during talks on Wednesday, EU officials said. A Washington Post report last year that the CIA had run secret prisons in Europe and flown suspects to states where they would have been tortured unleashed a spate of investigations.

"I strongly hope members of the (European Parliament's) inquiry committee will be received in Washington by American officials to open a transparent dialogue to find the truth," the EU's Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini told a news conference after talks with Gonzales on EU-US security cooperation.

Euro News: Serbia risks isolation over Mladic

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Serbia risks isolation over Mladic

ill the Commission's suspension of talks with Belgrade lead to long term isolation for Serbia - or is it just a short term negotiating tactic? Many from the region hope that the door will be left open for a resumption of dialogue, as Greek MP Anna Diamantopolous told EuroNews: "The Balkans represent a very important place and history for the peace and development of europe. Serbia cannot be a blackhole in Balkans. We all know and we agree that there is a need to respect deadlines and the decisions of the European Union. But at the same time, European Union is a political entity and not a court. So, I believe there is still room for manoeuvre, for diplomatic work".

"All political forces in the government are willing to turn the general in. But they just don't know how to communicate it to the public. For them, it's a matter of doing what they have said they would do and yet keep domestic popularity. But this is part of the process of reconciling with the past"

ABHABER.COM: Fischer: Turkey's EU bid crucial against Mideast radicalization

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Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stated yesterday that the rise in radicalism in the Middle East proved the European Union right in its decision last October to begin accession talks with Turkey. In a speech to Washington-based think tank the Brookings Institution, Fischer said, "What if the EU had closed its doors to Turkey in October? The conditions would be worse and more complex in this radicalized situation in the Middle East," citing the Iranian nuclear dispute, the rise of militant group Hamas as a result of the Palestinian elections, and the latest sectarian clashes in Iraq. Underlining that Turkey's membership in the 25-nation bloc is a serious decision for the EU as well as for the country because of its large size and huge population, Fischer said that he is not pessimistic about the accession of Turkey into the Union. "There are two different pictures of Turkey," Fischer said. "Although the western and southwestern part of the country have already Europeanized, the adaptation of the east and southeast will be crucial since these regions are problematic," he added underlining the need for more time to solve these problems.

Gulf Times: The hunt for interpreters, translators in Brussels still ongoing

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The hunt for interpreters, translators in Brussels still ongoing

BRUSSELS: Two years after the European Union’s “big bang” expansion to the east, the search is still on to find interpreters and translators specialising in the bloc’s new official languages. Recruiting Bulgarian and Romanian interpreters – the two countries which are expected to join the EU in January 2007 – is proving to be even more of a bureaucratic headache. The hunt for interpreters and translators who are fluent in central and eastern European languages is urgent given the EU institutions’ multinational character. Although a great deal of administrative work is conducted in English, French and German, the bloc now boasts 20 official languages which are used at all high-level meetings.

With nine new official EU languages, translation costs have spiralled from 541mn euros in 2003 to around 800mn euros (US $1 billion) this year. In 2005, some 176mn euros were spent on interpretation.

Finfacts: Directive on the right to reside freely in the EU: Seven million European citizens now live in another Member State

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Directive on the right to reside freely in the EU: Seven million European citizens now live in another Member State

An estimated seven million European Union citizens have taken advantage of their rights to right to free movement and residence and now live in another Member State of the Union. In the early days of the European project, only workers benefited from free movement. Over the years, this right has been extended, through legislation and case law, to encompass all categories of citizens. People can now move to another EU country to retire, study, or live without engaging in economic activities, as well as moving to work abroad.

VHeadline.com - Venezuela's CAN exit will not affect relationship with European Union (EU)

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Venezuela's CAN exit will not affect relationship with European Union (EU)

Venezuela's exit from the Community of Andean Nations (CAN) would not affect its relationship with the European Union (EU), said Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Rondon. "The Venezuela-EU relationship will be intense and will continue without suffering problems," Rondon said. Venezuela warned last week that it could withdraw from the CAN if fellow members Colombia, Peru and Ecuador go through with free trade pacts with the United States.

WebWire® - Young Americans Still Lack Basic Global Knowledge, National Geographic-Roper Survey Shows

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Young Americans Still Lack Basic Global Knowledge, National Geographic-Roper Survey Shows

"Six in 10 young Americans ages 18 to 24 cannot find Iraq on a map of the Middle East, according to a new National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 Geographic Literacy Study.

Fewer than three in 10 of those surveyed think it is absolutely necessary to know where countries in the news are located. Only 14 percent believe speaking another language fluently is a necessary skill. Seventy-five percent couldn’t locate Israel on a map of the Middle East, despite the fact that the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has been ongoing throughout these young people’s lives. Seven in 10 couldn’t find North Korea on a map of Asia, and six in 10 did not know its border with South Korea is the most heavily fortified in the world. Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified was the U.S.-Mexican border.

LiveScience.com - Airbus A380: Inside the World's Biggest Jet - by Bill Sweetman

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Airbus A380: Inside the World's Biggest Jet - by Bill Sweetman

The world's biggest airliner also has the smartest cockpit, with screens that show more and make it easier to fly.

The four massive 70,000-pound-thrust high-bypass turbofan jet engines driving the A380 will actually be quieter than the engines on many smaller planes. That's because high-bypass engines employ carefully sculpted blades and wider fans (116 inches in the A380's Rolls Royce model) to acceleratE more air past the engine core and out the rear, allowing the engines to operate more slowly and quietly without sacrificing thrust.

Bloomberg.com: Euro Advances After Manufacturing Expands by Most in Five Years

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Euro Advances After Manufacturing Expands by Most in Five Years

May 2 (Bloomberg) -- The euro rose, approaching an 11-month high against the dollar, after an industry report showed euro- region manufacturing expanded at the fastest pace in more than five years last month. The euro has risen 6.6 percent versus the dollar this year as signs of faster growth prompt speculation the European Central Bank will increase its pace of interest-rate increases while the Federal Reserve prepares to end an almost two-year cycle of boosting borrowing costs.

``The trend is clearly to a strong euro and the trend is clearly to a weak dollar,'' said Dennis Gartman, editor of the Suffolk, Virginia-based Gartman Letter. ``Those trends are likely to continue.''

TCS Daily - Paró General! The Return of the General Strike - by Lee Harris

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The Return of the General Strike - by Lee Harris

The photograph showed an elderly Hispanic man holding up a placard with the words Paró General written on it, and it accompanied an internet article about the strike of immigrant workers scheduled for May the First in the US -- a strike that its sponsors pledged would "shut down" cities. As I glanced at the picture, groping through my very limited mental Spanish lexicon, I made the connection: Paró General is the Spanish phrase for general strike. No wonder, I thought to myself, that so many responsible Hispanic leaders have expressed concern about the possible backlash from the projected Paró General.

For most Americans, the phrase "general strike" may not pack as much of a wallop as it does for Europeans. But it was once a revolutionary slogan, and one that was embraced by one of the more fascinating and original French thinkers of the first half of the twentieth century, Georges Sorel. In his most famous book, Reflections on Violence, published in 1906, Sorel argued that the general strike was the utlimate weapon in the arsenal of revolution, one that would lead to an apocalyptic transformation from capitalism to socialism. Yet, in the century that followed the publication of Reflections on Violence, Sorel's faith in the revolutionary promise of the general strike inevitably came to seem a bit puzzling. Indeed, not quite four years ago, I wrote that Sorel's myth of the general strike "never quite caught on," and that is why I was somewhat startled to see the placard proclaiming Paró General. For it suddenly made me ask myself, "Did Sorel write his book a century too soon? Is Sorel's general strike ready to have a comeback?"

Sorel believed that it was only by returning to the law of the jungle that power could be put back in the hands of those who deserved it -- the warlike, the heroic, the ones willing to die for their beliefs. For Sorel, the normal political channels through which a liberal democracy selected its managerial class were carefully arranged so that only non-entities would end up with power.

Monday Morning Beirut - The European Union: Prodi faces other end of EU budget stick

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The European Union: Prodi faces other end of EU budget stick

Prodi, a former European Commission chief who is struggling to form a stable cabinet after a narrow poll victory over Silvio Berlusconi, will now face the wrong end of the budget stick he used to wield in Brussels.
Public debt also increased across the 25-member European Union, up from 69.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2004 to 70.8 percent last year in the 12-nation eurozone, and from 62.4 percent to 63.4 percent of GDP in the 25-member EU. But overall the average deficit in the eurozone fell from 2.8 percent in 2004 to 2.4 percent in 2005, and in the EU from 2.6 percent to 2.3 percent, according to the figures by the EU’s Eurostat data agency. “This is obviously good news”, said Amelia Torres, spokeswoman for EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. “The situation is improving”, she added, noting that 18 EU countries “have improved their government account situation, by either reducing the deficit or increasing the surplus they had”. But at least seven states -- including heavyweights Germany, Britain and Italy -- remained above the three-percent bar for public deficits set out by the Stability and Growth Pact, the fiscal rule book for countries sharing Europe’s single currency. Nevertheless, Britain is not a member of the 12-state eurozone. Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, ran a deficit of 3.3 percent, while Italy’s stood at 4.1 percent. Hungary was on 6.1 percent, Portugal 6.0 percent, Greece 4.5 percent, Britain 3.6 percent and Malta 3.3 percent.

Eurostat also confirmed France’s 2005 public deficit as 2.9 percent of GDP, just below the 3.0 percent limit.

Aljazeera.com: Petro-Euro: A reality or distant nightmare for the U.S.?

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Petro-Euro: A reality or distant nightmare for the U.S.?

In the current ‘crisis’ over Iran’s plans to develop nuclear technology, the real reason for open U.S. hostility towards Iran is often over-looked. For the past few years, Iran has been planning to open its own oil exchange — the Iranian Oil Bourse (IOB) — with the alleged goal of becoming the dominant centre of the Middle East oil trade.What will make the proposed IOB different is that it has stated that it will trade in Euros not Dollars.

The debate over the ultimate financial impact of trading oil in Euros rather than dollars is a complex one, but according to many experts, such a move could lead to a collapse in value for the American currency, potentially putting the U.S. economy in its greatest crisis since the depression era of the 1930s. The IOB has been on Iran's agenda for quite some time and different dates have informally been announced for its opening, all which have been quietly dropped as the deadline neared. The question is whether Iran wishes to have the nuclear issue resolved before taking on the US Dollar in the IOB or whether Iran has been intimidated by U.S. pressure and threats of possible nuclear strikes and decided to postpone the IOB indefinitely.

EU Imposes New Trade Sanctions on US

JTW News

"EU Imposes New Trade Sanctions on US
The European Union has imposed new trade sanctions against the United States in retaliation for a U.S. trade law the World Trade Organization says is illegal.

The new trade sanctions take effect Monday.

They impose $9 million in tariffs on U.S. blankets, paper goods, photocopiers, and drills.

Tariffs on other U.S. products, including some clothing and corn were imposed last year.

The tariffs are a response to the so-called Byrd amendment, which allows American companies to recieve proceeds from anti-dumping duties levied on foreign rivals.

The WTO has ruled the payments are illegal."

DNA - "Iranians shell Kurdish PKK rebel and terrorist stronghold locations in Iraq"

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"Iranians shell Kurdish PKK rebel and terrorist stronghold locations in Iraq"

SULAIMANIYAH: Iranian forces shelled Kurdish rebel positions in Iraq for the second day on Monday, forcing dozens of Kurdish families to flee, a rebel leader said. "The Iranians shelled PKK positions from 9 pm (1700 GMT) on Sunday until 5 am (0100 GMT) on Monday," Rustom Judi, a leader of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq's northern province of Sulaimaniyah, told AFP. "Dozens of families were forced to leave their homes," he said. "We have casualties," he added, but did not provide further details. On Sunday Iraq's defense ministry said Iranian forces had entered Iraqi territory and shelled PKK positions over a period of 24 hours. "The PKK is considered an outlawed terrorist organization by the US, the EU and Australia. Nevertheless, the PKK has been carrying out attacks from Kurdish controlled territories in Iraq, without the intervention of the "coalition forces"

Chron.com: Biden: Split Iraq Into 3 Different Regions

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Biden: Split Iraq Into 3 Different Regions

WASHINGTON — The senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee proposed Monday that Iraq be divided into three separate regions: Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni, with a central government in Baghdad.

In an op-ed essay in Monday's edition of The New York Times, Sen. Joseph Biden. D-Del., wrote that the idea "is to maintain a united Iraq by decentralizing it, giving each ethno-religious group ... room to run its own affairs, while leaving the central government in charge of common interests."

FT.com - Transatlantic alliance is all harmony - just don't mention Iran - by Quentin Peel

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Transatlantic alliance is all harmony - just don't mention Iran - by Quentin Peel

The transatlantic relationship between Europe and the US is no longer on life-support. It is alive and thriving. At least, that is what the leading politicians and officials charged with making the old alliance work would have us believe.Forget Iraq, and the bitter differences exposed by America's military intervention at the head of a "coalition of the willing". Forget conflicts over global warming, the International Criminal Court, the secret "rendition" of suspected terrorists, and the extra-legal detentions of Guantánamo Bay.

On Iran both sides may agree on broad aims, such as stopping Iran getting nuclear weapons, but they differ greatly on how those ends should be accomplished.A senior European diplomat said "it is clear that EU member states do not want a really harsh sanctions regime imposed on Iran, and are relying on Russia and China to block it. "The Europeans pretend to be tough for the Americans, and soft for the Russians," he said. A German analyst said it even more bluntly: "If it comes to US military action against Iran, you can bid farewell to the transatlantic relationship."

Bloomberg.com: Bush Leverage With Russia, Iran, China Falls as Oil Prices Rise

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Bush Leverage With Russia, Iran, China Falls as Oil Prices Rise

May 1 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush, already weakened at home by the soaring cost of oil, is finding that it's also eroding his ability to achieve his foreign-policy goals.

``It's a geopolitical nightmare,'' says William Cohen, a former Republican senator from Maine and defense secretary under President Bill Clinton who is now chairman of the Cohen Group, a Washington-based consulting firm. Such nations as Iran, Russia and China ``don't see us as the colossus that can cause them any harm, either by our economy or by our prestige.'' Record-high energy prices are weakening Bush's prospects of assembling an international coalition to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions. They are diminishing his chances of influencing energy-rich nations such as Russia and isolating troublesome ones including Venezuela and Sudan. And they are straining U.S. economic and diplomatic ties with China, whose oil needs are skyrocketing.

MiamiHerald.com: Russian officials impose ban on wine imports from Georgia and Moldovia - by Mike Eckel

For the full report go to the MiamiHerald.com or click on this linkRussian officials impose ban on wine imports from Georgia and Moldovia - by Mike Eckel

Wine flows freely at Genatsvale, one of Moscow's many Georgian restaurants, as diners tuck into warm cheese bread and quaff glasses of traditional Georgian vintages -- Mukuzani, Kindzmarauli -- seated next to a decorative stream flowing through the room. As of today, the stream will keep flowing, but the Georgian wines may not, thanks to a ban on imports imposed by Russian health and sanitary officials. ''Of course you need sanitary rules. Everyone has them: France, Italy. But to ban all wines from one country like this? It's absurd. It's a fraud,'' said restaurant manager Maria Markoziya.

The ban, which also targets Moldovan wines, threatens to shut down Russia's billion-dollar market for the two ex-Soviet republics' wines and cognacs. It's the latest Russian shot across the bow for the two nations, whose West-leaning policies increasingly irk Moscow.

GreenBiz: Climate Wise - Carbon Emissions -- What Price a Pollution Solution? by Ben Schiller

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Climate Wise - Carbon Emissions -- What Price a Pollution Solution? by Ben Schiller

By most measures, Europe's carbon emissions trading scheme has had a successful start. In its first year -- 2005 -- the scheme transacted a total of 230 million metric tons of CO2, worth about €4 billion. And since January this year, volumes and prices, which reached about €27 a metric ton in March, have been rising steadily. A whole new industry -- of exchanges, brokers, research firms, consultants and publishers -- has been created, seduced by the promise of what is expected to be a multi-billion-euro industry. Under the scheme, the European Union's 25 national governments agree CO2 emissions targets with the European Commission, before apportioning carbon credits to installations in their countries. In the first phase, to the end of 2007, the trading scheme covers about 5,000 EU companies, or 12,000 plants, representing about half of all current CO2 emissions in Europe.

Over time, governments are expected to reduce the number of free carbon credits available, thus forcing companies to pay for extra allowances in a marketplace, or to invest in new technologies to reduce their footprints (and costs).

ZAMAN DAILY : Buy Web Address for your Kids as soon as Possible - by Onder Deligoz, Istanbul

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Buy Web Address for your Kids as soon as Possible - by Onder Deligoz, Istanbul

Defined as the fastest growing global network of communication, the Internet is more and more frequently being used for commercial purposes as well as a tool for exchanging information, for conducting research and for entertainment. Jeffrey Gitomer, a sales expert, said that the future of commerce lies in the Internet: “Buy a domain for your kids or grandkids as soon as possible. You only have to pay $10 to promote yourself on an international platform.” The best-selling author whose daily newspaper articles attract an average readership of four million, Gitomer arrived in Turkey to give a lecture on techniques not taught in schools for attracting sales and customer loyalty.